Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/102355
SPECIALTY FOOD NEWS THE NEWS UPDATE FOR SPECIALTY FOOD PROFESSIONALS ® BY ROBYN PFORR RYAN A look at industry happenings, store and restaurant openings, legislative and regulatory updates and more FRESH & EASY CHAIN TO SHUTTER? Five years after its U.S. debut, British supermarket retailer Tesco has confirmed a strategic review of its Fresh & Easy chain that may result in its 200 stores in California and Nevada being sold or closed. The chain has struggled to show a profit from the outset, and Tim Mason, CEO of the U.S. business, resigned last month. Tesco employs about 5,000 people in its Fresh & Easy chain. Jean-Georges to Open Artisanal Market In the basement space of ABC Carpet & Home's flagship in New York's Flatiron District, Jean-Georges Vongerichten plans to open an 8,500-square-foot artisan market featuring locally and American-made foods. TRAVEL WITH WHOLE FOODS Whole Foods Market has launched a travel company designed for active food lovers to experience "what travel should taste like." Called Whole Journeys, the company will offer guided trips, ranging from five days to two weeks, on 11 itineraries through Europe, China and the U.S. starting in April 2013. Tours will feature visits to local farms and other food producers, wine tastings and cooking classes, as well as cultural activities and active pursuits like hiking and biking. New Growler Station for Price Chopper Faced with a new competing Shop Rite supermarket right across the street, Slingerlands, N.Y., supermarket Price Chopper has added a Growler Station serving craft beer to go. Customers can buy a refillable 32- or 64-ounce amber-colored glass bottle (called a "growler") and choose from eight beers. A machine then fills the growler from the tap while adding pressure, which fills the growler quickly without foam. This method is said to be able to retain the beers' fresh-from-the-tap flavor at home. Recall Plans…Both the FDA and USDA are emphasizing the importance of written facility recall plans and processes. Section 206 of the FDAÕs food-safety law gives the Administration the authority to require a recall when the manufacturer does not do so voluntarily, if the food is misbranded or adulterated and if its use will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. A fee can be triggered when a manufacturer fails to comply with a recall order. The USDA, in early November, issued its own notice about recall procedures for large official establishments that produce meat and poultry products and about voluntary food-defense plans. Guidance is contained in FSIS Directive 8080.1 (Rev 6). Deadlines for meat and poultry firms to have a written recall plan on file with the USDA depend on a firmÕs size: Recall plans for large firms (500 or more employees) were due Nov. 5, 2012; recall plans for small firms (10Ð499 employees) and very small firms (1Ð9 employees) are due May 8, 2013. & LEGISLATIVE REGULATORY NEWS FDA Publishes Analysis of Foodborne Illness Risk…In October, the FDA published its trend analysis report on foodborne-illness risk factors in foodservice, restaurant and retail facilities from 1998 to 2008. For retail, the agency studied deli, meat and poultry, seafood and produce departments. Next, the agency will look more carefully at retailersÕ safety plans and risk-management systems with a focus on prevention. A voluntary survey is scheduled to begin in 2013. The end product of this effort will include recommended best practices. Olive Oil Competition Investigated…The United States International Trade Commission is investigating the conditions of competition between U.S. suppliers and major foreign olive oil suppliers. The ITC is an independent agency that studies the economic effect of trade on U.S. industries. The information collected regarding the olive oil industry can be used to decide whether an unfair trade case is warranted, perhaps to lead to language in a farm bill or to give USDA support for a standard. The issues that the ITC will address are very broad. One specific goal is to gather information about the qualitative and quantitative role of imports, standards and grading, prices and other factors in the U.S. market. The report is scheduled to be sent in August 2013 to the Congressional committee that requested the study. Organic Residue Testing…The USDA published a final rule that requires certification agents to conduct annual residue sampling and testing of organic products from at least 5 percent of operations. 12 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com Marsha Echols, NASFT's legal advisor in Washington, D.C., is available to counsel members. Reach her at 202.625.1451 or echols@marshaechols.com.